SYRACUSE - A boy is lucky to be alive, thanks to the efforts of police and residents alike.

Noah Holguin, 11, was with friends slipping and sliding on the frozen Jensen Pond about 5 p.m. Thursday, “when he slid too far and fell into the ice,” said Syracuse Police Lt. Heath Rogers.

“The ice was too thin and there was too much weight for the ice to handle,” he said.

Syracuse Police Sgt. Stan Penrod was called to the scene and tried to throw a rope to the boy, but it was too short. so he stepped waist-deep into the water. A resident who saw what happened and had come to help was hanging on to Penrod’s duty belt, Rogers said. Even then they could not reach the boy.

Then, an off-duty Unified Police Officer, Bill Stone, who was passing by stopped. Rogers said he had a longer rope and with a joint effort they were able to rescue Holguin.

Syracuse Police Sgt. Lance Call, who was also off-duty, happened to be exercising near the pond at that time and pulled his shirt off to warm the boy.

“It was kind of frantic for a while,” Rogers said. “He (Holguin) was lucky the officers were there and that they had ropes.

Holguin was treated by Syracuse firefighters and taken to Davis Hospital and Medical Center. Rogers said the boy is doing OK.

The pond has been frozen over this winter, allowing kids to play.

“There’s been some ice fishing out there,” Rogers said. However, he said some of the pond is frozen harder than others and there are areas the ice is thin.

“We’re glad the officers were able to respond and that it all turned out well,” Rogers said.

However, Rogers warned residents that because of that thin ice the pond can be dangerous and to use caution when recreating on the pond.